Top 10

Packing and Shipping Practices

In response to a quality initiative by the Idaho Potato Commission, Nora Olsen and Mike Thornton, researchers with the University of Idaho, developed a list of the top 10 best practices for packer-shippers.

1) Monitor temperature at storage.

Keep pulp temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit during removal to minimize bruising.

 

2) Know storage management effects.

Understand the relationship between management decisions, weight loss and disease incidence in storage.

 

3) Avoid large drops.

Avoid drops of more than 6 inches onto hard surfaces on all machinery.

 

4) Pad all impact points.

Use padding at all impact points, and replace when worn out.

 

5) Run conveyors at capacity.

This reduces the relative drop height between pieces of equipment.

 

6) Remove excess moisture.

Remove moisture from the surface of potatoes before final packaging.

 

7) Maintain temperature.

Maintain packaged potatoes at a constant temperature, and provide ventilation to help prevent soft rot.

 

8) Check truck/railcar temperature.

Check temperature prior to loading, and make sure the set point is accurate; avoid set points that may encourage condensation.

 

9) Monitor quality of packaged potatoes.

To reduce pressure bruise potential, match pile height to ventilation design capacity for the storage, maintain high humidity and avoid large delta T differentials.

 

10) Educate equipment operators.

Provide education so they understand the first nine items on this list.